2006

LANE RACES TO SOCCER RESPECTABILITY.

Byline: Chris Hansen The Register-Guard

While Lane Community College women's soccer coach Dean Smith shares a name with the legendary North Carolina men's basketball coach, it's with another famously successful Tar Heels coach that Smith shares a bit of coaching philosophy.

"I've been reading a lot of books by Anson Dorrance, the great North Carolina soccer coach," Smith said. "He says that a lot of people say that soccer builds character, but he believes soccer reveals character, and I haven't found that to be wrong."

In that case, the Titans should discover exactly who they are over the next four days with a difficult three-game stretch that could make or break their playoff hopes.

As it stands, Lane, whose women's soccer program is in just its second season, is in third place in the South Region of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges at 11-2-1. In first place is Clackamas (13-1-1), a team the Titans host at 3 p.m. Friday. In second is Southwestern Oregon (12-1-2), which Lane plays at home at 2 p.m. Thursday.

But first for the Titans comes a match against fourth-place Clark (10-3-1) at 3 p.m. today in Vancouver, Wash.

Once the week is done, Lane will have just one game left in the regular season. After that, the top three teams in the region will advance to the NWAACC's 12-team championship tournament.

"The girls are talking about wanting to win the whole thing by winning out," Smith said. "But right now we're just trying to take it game for game and see where it goes from there."

The Titans are winless this season against those three opponents. They lost earlier to both Clackamas and SWOCC, and tied with Clark.

However, the Titans will get a big boost with the return of midfielder Brittany Hayes. The sophomore from Sheldon missed the past nine games with an illness. Prior to that, she had recorded 10 goals and three assists in Lane's first five games.

"She plays a central role for us in the attacking midfield," Smith said. "She's a great scorer, and we try and pressure the defense with her coming directly at them. She's very good at it.

"Brittany also has a tradition of winning. She won two state championships at Sheldon. Frankly, she only knows how to win ... and she brings a winning attitude. We're excited to have her back for these games."

Smith is in his first season with the Titans. He took over the team in midsummer, replacing Shane Dasher, who coached the team to a 6-8-4 record last fall.

Dasher built his inaugural team primarily on the strength of local talent. Nine of the 19 players on the team come out of the Midwestern League, and another five are from Sky-Em League high schools.

Smith, who is also the coach of a local U-15 girls team called the Blue Crush, expects to maintain that same recruiting strategy.

"There's so many skilled players and there's so many good clubs around here that we're really concentrating locally," Smith said. "The team doesn't have the resources or the time to really go out and try and recruit players. We don't have a big base of money."

It doesn't seem to be hindering their success.

Kori Wilgus, a freshman forward out of Churchill, leads the team and is second in the NWAACC with 24 goals. Sophomore forward Callie Cram is second with 14 goals and tied for second on the team with seven assists, and sophomore Shawna Boyer, a Thurston grad, has 11 goals and a team-high nine assists.

"I think the girls are capable of doing this," Smith said. "It's whether or not they believe in themselves, and so we're really trying to build that right now. We are good players, we are a good team and we are capable of winning, but we need to go out and do it." COPYRIGHT 2006 The Register Guard